Caladium plant named ‘Bombshell’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Caladium  plant named ‘Bombshell’, characterized by its upright plant habit; intermediate to tall plant size; uniform plant habit; vigorous and dense growth habit; fancy-type leaves with dark red to greyed purple-colored venation and interveinal areas surrounded with dark green-colored borders; and good landscape performance.

Botanical designation: Caladium×hortulanum.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BOMBSHELL’.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO CLOSELY-RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Caladium Plant Named ‘Party Punch’

Applicant: Robert Dale Hartman

Filed: Dec. 29, 2011

Ser. No. 13/374,460

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Caladium plant, botanically known as Caladium×hortulanum, commercially referred to as a fancy leaf-type Caladium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Bombshell’.

The objective of the Inventor's breeding program is to create new Caladium plants that have uniform plant habit, exceptional container and garden performance and attractive foliage coloration.

The new Caladium plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor on Apr. 15, 2007, in Avon Park, Fla. of a proprietary selection of Caladium×hortulanum identified as code number WS-03-36, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Caladium×hortulanum ‘Red Flash’, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Caladium plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Zolfo Springs, Fla. on Sep. 15, 2008.

Asexual reproduction of the new Caladium plant by ‘chipping’ the tubers (cutting the tuber into segments each segment containing an axillary bud and tuber cortical tissue) in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Lake Placid, Fla. since Apr. 14, 2009 has shown that the unique features of this new Caladium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Caladium have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bombshell’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bombshell’ as a new and distinct Caladium plant:

-   -   1. Upright plant habit; intermediate to tall plant size.     -   2. Uniform plant habit.     -   3. Vigorous and dense growth habit.     -   4. Fancy-type leaves with dark red to greyed purple-colored         venation and interveinal areas surrounded with dark         green-colored borders.     -   5. Good landscape performance and tolerant to full sun         conditions.

Plants of the new Caladium differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Caladium are taller and more upright than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Leaves of plants of the new Caladium are ovate in shape         whereas leaves of plants of the female plant selection are         lanceolate in shape.     -   3. Plants of the new Caladium and the female parent selection         differ in leaf coloration as leaves of plants of the female         parent selection have grey green-colored venation and         interveinal areas and dark green-colored borders.

Plants of the new Caladium differ primarily from plants of the male parent, ‘Red Flash’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Caladium grow faster than plants of ‘Red         Flash’.     -   2. Plants of the new Caladium and ‘Red Flash’ differ in leaf         coloration as leaves of plants of ‘Red Flash’ have red-colored         venation and interveinal areas with pink and white-colored spots         and dark green-colored borders.

Plants of the new Caladium can be compared to plants of Caladium ‘Party Punch’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/374,460. Plants of the new Caladium are more upright than plants of ‘Party Punch’. In addition, plants of the new Caladium and ‘Party Punch’ differ in leaf petiole and leaf coloration.

Plants of the new Caladium can be compared to plants of Caladium ‘Rosebud’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Avon Park, Fla., plants of the new Caladium differed primarily from plants of ‘Rosebud’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Caladium were taller and more vigorous than         plants of ‘Rosebud’.     -   2. Plants of the new Caladium grew slower than plants of         ‘Rosebud’.     -   3. Leaves of plants of the new Caladium were more elongate than         and not as round as leaves of plants of ‘Rosebud’.     -   4. Plants of the new Caladium and ‘Rosebud’ differed in leaf         coloration as leaves of plants of ‘Rosebud’ had pink-colored         venation and interveinal areas surrounded by whitish-colored         areas and green-colored borders.

Plants of the new Caladium can also be compared to plants of Caladium ‘Carolyn Whorton’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Avon Park, Fla., plants of the new Caladium differed primarily from plants of ‘Carolyn Whorton’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Caladium were taller than plants of         ‘Carolyn Whorton’.     -   2. Leaves of plants of the new Caladium were flatter than leaves         of plants of ‘Carolyn Whorton’.     -   3. Plants of the new Caladium and ‘Carolyn Whorton’ differed in         leaf coloration as leaves of plants of ‘Carolyn Whorton’ had         deep rose red-colored venation with pink-colored blotches and         green-colored borders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Caladium plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Caladium plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of a typical plant of ‘Bombshell’ grown in a 15-cm container in a shadehouse.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet is a side perspective view of typical plants of ‘Bombshell’ grown in an outdoor nursery.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet is a close-up view of typical freshly-harvested tubers and roots of ‘Bombshell’.

The photograph at the top of the third sheet is a comparison view of typical plants of ‘Bombshell’ grown in 15-cm containers, the plant on the left has not had its tuber de-eyed and the plant on the right has had its tuber de-eyed prior to planting.

The photograph at the bottom of the third sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Bombshell’.

The photograph at the top of the fourth sheet is a comparison view of typical potted plants of the female parent selection (left), ‘Bombshell’ (center) and the male parent, ‘Red Flash’ (right).

The photograph at the bottom of the fourth sheet is a comparison view of typical potted plants of ‘Rosebud’ (left), ‘Bombshell’ (center) and ‘Carolyn Whorton’ (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring in 15-cm containers in Avon Park, Fla. in a polypropylene-covered shadehouse (30% shade) and plants grown during the autumn in ground beds in an outdoor nursery in Zolfo Springs, Fla. All plants were grown under environmental conditions and cultural practices which approximate those generally used in commercial shadehouse and outdoor nursery Caladium production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from about 29° C. to 33° C. (shadehouse) or 29° C. to 35° C. (outdoor nursery), night temperatures ranged from about 22° C. to 25° C. (shadehouse) or 23° C. to 26° C. (outdoor nursery) and light levels were about 8,000 foot-candles (shadehouse) or 10,000 to 12,000 foot-candles (outdoor nursery). Plants grown in the shadehouse were eight weeks old when the photographs and the detailed description were taken. Plants grown in the outdoor nursery were seven months old when the photographs and the detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Caladium×hortulanum ‘Bombshell’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Caladium×hortulanum identified as code number WS-03-36, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Caladium×hortulanum ‘Red Flash’,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By “chipping” the tubers.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About seven to ten days at             32° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About two to three weeks at             24° C.         -   Tuber description (outdoor nursery-grown             plants).—Appearance: Multi-segmented; individual segments             ovate to elliptic in shape. Height: About 3.5 cm. Diameter:             About 5.6 cm. Texture: Thick and starchy; somewhat brittle.             Color: Epidermis, freshly harvested, close to 199A to 199B             and 200A, faintly tinged with close to 181C to 181D;             epidermis, dried tuber, close to 200A to 200B; cortical             tissue, close to 4C to 4D; axillary buds, close to 37C to             37D. Root description: Thick, fleshy contractile roots;             color, close to 155C. Rooting habit: Few lateral branches;             moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant type.—Herbaceous perennial; suitable as a potted plant             in containers 15-cm to 25-cm and suitable as a landscape             plant in shaded and full sunlight areas.         -   Plant and growth habit.—Upright plant habit; intermediate to             tall plant size; inverted triangle; vigorous and dense             growth habit; rapid growth rate; leaf petioles and leaves             arise from one or more growing points on tubers; petioles             mostly upright and arching outwardly with development.         -   Plant height, from soil level to top of foliar plane,             shadehouse-grown potted plants.—About 30 cm to 38 cm.         -   Plant height, from soil level to top of inflorescences,             shadehouse-grown potted plants.—About 20 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread, shadehouse-grown potted             plants.—About 29 cm to 37 cm.         -   Number of clumps per plant, shadehouse-grown potted             plants.—About two to three from de-eyed tubers.         -   Cataphylls, shadehouse-grown potted plants.—Length: About             7 cm. Width: About 9 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Emarginate             to acuminate. Base: Sheathing the stem. Color, outer             surface: Close to N170D stippled and tessellated with close             to 147B tinged with close to 200B; with development, color             becoming closer to 200B. Color, inner surface: Close to             N155C, outer surface colors and patterns visible. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Length, shadehouse-grown potted plants.—About 16 cm to 22             cm.         -   Width, shadehouse-grown potted plants.—About 11.3 cm to 15.9             cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Sagittate, peltate.         -   Margin.—Entire; mostly flat with a few broad undulations.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Smooth, glabrous; glaucous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color, shadehouse-grown potted plants.—Developing leaves,             upper surface: Basal notch: Close to 187A. Venation between             basal notch and petiole attachment: Close to 187A. Midrib             and primary venation: Between 187A and 53A. Areas             surrounding the primary venation: Close to 184A and 185A.             Interveinal areas: Random sectors and spots, close to 183A,             185A, 147A and 155A. Borders: Close to 147A; random flecks,             close to N186A. Margins: Close to 187B. Developing leaves,             lower surface: Basal notch: Close to 187B. Venation between             basal notch and petiole attachment: Close to 187B. Midrib             and primary venation: Close to 191A tinged and streaked with             close to 182B and 182C. Areas surrounding the primary             venation: Close to 183B. Interveinal areas: Random sectors             and spots, close to 145D, 150D, 182D and 49D. Borders: Close             to 191A and 189A. Margins: Close to 187B. Fully expanded             leaves, upper surface: Basal notch: Close to N186C. Venation             between basal notch and petiole attachment: Close to N186C.             Midrib and primary venation: Close to N186C. Areas             surrounding the primary venation: Close to 53B and 185A.             Interveinal areas: Close to 182C to 182D, 183A and 187A.             Borders: Darker than between N189A and 147A. Margins: Close             to 187B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Basal notch:             Close to N187C. Venation between basal notch and petiole             attachment: Close to N187C. Midrib: Close to 191A streaked             with close to 181A and 182A. Primary venation: Close to 191A             tinged with close to 189A. Areas surrounding the primary             venation: Close to 183C to 183D. Interveinal areas: Random             sectors and spots, close to 182D. Borders: Darker than             between 189A and 191A. Margins: Close to 187B.         -   Petiole.—Aspect: Mostly erect, slightly outwardly arching             with development; flexible. Length, shadehouse-grown potted             plants: About 22 cm to 26 cm. Diameter, distal,             shadehouse-grown potted plants: About 3.5 mm to 5 mm.             Diameter, proximal, shadehouse-grown potted plants: About 5             mm to 9 mm. Color, shadehouse-grown potted plants: Close to             N170D or N170D tinged with close to 182D, stippled and             tessellated with close to 200C, variably tinged with close             to 147B and variably striped with close to 200B to 200C.             Wing length, shadehouse-grown potted plants: About 3 cm to             5.9 cm. Wing diameter, shadehouse-grown potted plants: About             4 mm to 8 mm. Wing color, shadehouse-grown potted plants,             outer surface: Close to N170D stippled and tessellated with             close to 147B and tinged with close to 200B. Wing color,             shadehouse-grown potted plants, inner surface: Close to             N155C, outer surface colors and patterns visible. -   Inflorescence description: Inflorescences observed on eight-week old     shadehouse-grown potted plants.     -   -   Inflorescence arrangement.—Upright hooded spathes             surrounding a columnar spadix borne on a tall upright scape;             spadix with sessile, simple female and male flowers             separated into two zones; female flowers arranged on the             lower one-third of the spadix; male flowers arranged on the             upper two-thirds of the spadix; sterile flowers develop at             junction of female and male flower zones; near this             junction, the spathe constricts and surrounds and encloses             the female flowers; spathe open and cupped around male             flowers.         -   Fragrance.—Night fragrant; moderate jasmine-like fragrance             with camphor-like note.         -   Natural flowering season/longevity: Plants of the new             Caladium typically flower during the spring or early summer             in central Florida; flowers develop about eight weeks after             growth commences; inflorescences last about three days             before fading; inflorescences persistent.         -   Spathe.—Length: About 6.9 cm; open length, about 4.2 cm and             closed length, about 2.7 cm. Width, distal: About 3 cm.             Width, proximal: About 2 cm. Width, at constriction: About             1.2 cm. Shape: Ovate to elliptic. Apex: Acuminate. Base:             Tapering to the peduncle. Margin: Entire; slightly reflexed.             Texture, front surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, rear             surface: Smooth, glabrous; glaucous. Color, front surface:             Upper two-thirds: Close to 155C and 192D; with development,             color becoming closer to 199B. Lower one-third: Close to             148C; towards the base, close to N77A and 187A; color does             not change with development Color, rear surface: Upper             two-thirds: Close to 155C tinged with close to 145C and             146D. Lower one-third: Close to 147B, 147C and 146A variably             streaked and flushed with close to 187B and 187C.         -   Spadix.—Length: About 6.2 cm. Length, male flower zone:             About 3.4 cm. Length, sterile zone: About 1.3 cm. Length,             female flower zone: About 1.5 cm. Diameter, male flower             zone: About 8 mm. Diameter, sterile flower zone: About             6.5 mm. Diameter, female flower zone: About 8 mm. Shape:             Columnar. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Obtuse. Aspect: Upright.             Color, mature, male zone: Close to 158B to 158C. Color,             mature, sterile zone: Close to 158B to 158C. Color, mature,             female zone: Close to 18B. Male flowers: Quantity per             spadix: About 110. Shape: Obovate. Height: About 3 mm.             Diameter: About 3 mm. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color:             Close to 11C. Female flowers: Quantity per spadix: About 85.             Shape: Ovate. Height: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Stigma color: Close to 18B. Ovary color: Close to 155C.         -   Scape.—Length: About 13.1 cm. Diameter: About 4.5 mm.             Strength: Sturdy; flexible. Aspect: Erect or slightly             curved. Texture: Smooth, glabrous; glaucous. Color: Close to             199A tinged with close to 147B and streaked with close to             N199B.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit development have not been             observed on plants of the new Caladium. -   Disease & pest tolerance/resistance: Plants of the new Caladium have     been observed to have above average tolerance to Xanthomonas Leaf     Spot and to have average tolerance to Pythium Root Rot. Plants of     the new Caladium have not been observed to have resistance to pests     and other pathogens common to Caladium plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Caladium have been observed     to be tolerant to temperatures ranging from about 7° C. to about     40° C. and are suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 8A to 11. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Caladium plant named ‘Bombshell’ as illustrated and described. 